Mexico to construct cemetery for unidentified victims of violence

Mexico is all set to build a cemetery in one of the country's most dangerous cities because of a higher number of unidentified and unclaimed dead, according to the authorities on January 3. According to the official reports, over 15000 people were murdered in Ciudad Juarez between the period of 2008 and 2019. It includes 1497 murders last year. Eberth Castanon Torres, coordinator at the local prosecutor's office said that the cemetery is intended for the victims of the northern area of Chihuahua because of the large of unidentified people.

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About the cemetery

As per reports, the cemetery will be constructed over an area of 50,000 square miles. It is planned to have a visual identification area, a body preparation area, and six funeral cold rooms for 300 corpses. The prosecutors said that they hope that the cemetery will allow them to acquire the genetic profiles of victims. According to official data, since the federal government launched a military offensive against the drug cartels in December 2016, around 275,000 assassinations have been recorded in Mexico.

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Clash between police and cartels

In recent news, at least 14 people died after Mexican security forces engaged in an hour-long gun battle with suspected cartel gunmen in a Mexican town near the US border on December 1. Ten suspected drug cartel and four policemen were killed during the attack. The incident took place days after US President Donald Trump said in a statement that he will designate Mexican drug cartel groups as terrorist organizations giving rise to the tension between the two nations. 

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According to the government of the northern state of Coahuila, the clash between the police and the cartel gunmen occurred in the small town of Villa Union, about 65 kilometers southwest of the border city of Piedras Negras. Miguel Angel Riquelme, Governor of Coahuila informed the international media that the state police performed its duty and acted ‘decisively’ against the drug cartel gunmen. During the clash between both sides, four police officers lost their lives and six were reported injured. Riquelme further added that the fight went on for approximately 10 hours wherein 10 gunmen were killed and three suffered injuries. 

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